A rally in Taipei yesterday called on the government to increase penalties for and protections against child abuse, following the death of a one-year-old boy nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴) in 2023.
Kai Kai was allegedly tortured to death on Christmas Eve 2023 by his licensed at-home caregiver, Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱), and Liu’s sister, Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳).
The two attended their final court hearing on Wednesday, with sentencing scheduled for Tuesday.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
The rally, organized by a group called the “Mothers’ Online Group” — a grassroots movement formed on social media by concerned parents and citizens following Kai Kai’s case — took place on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building.
Rally convenor Lee Yu-chun (李侑宭) said the demonstration was held to call for systemic reforms, as child abuse cases remain frequent, and have not been effectively controlled and prevented.
Lee called for the establishment of a “child and youth protection ministry” to facilitate interagency cooperation among prosecutors, police and officials in social welfare, education and healthcare.
She also urged the government to assign dedicated doctors and social workers to train frontline child protection personnel, such as teachers, police officers and healthcare practitioners, in identifying potential abuse cases.
There should also be home visit assistants who help social workers in doing “preventive” home visits and follow-up video visits for high-risk families, she added.
In terms of legislation, she urged the government to amend Article 271-1 of the Criminal Code to include a provision on the “offense of abusing a child to death,” which would increase penalties for child abuse and prohibit parole for offenders sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
To promptly secure children’s safety, the government should follow South Korea’s example of allowing authorities to immediately separate children from suspected abusers and place them in emergency care even before a formal conviction is made, she said.
The rally gathered about 84,000 signatures in a petition calling for stronger child protection laws and drew support from more than 10,000 participants domestically and abroad, including Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Janet Chia (賈永婕) and entertainer Jane Lee (李佩甄).
One participant, a woman surnamed Chang (張), said she traveled from Taichung with her husband, who carried a 1m handmade pencil model adorned with a white flower.
“The pencil represents the one Kai Kai was reportedly holding when he passed away, and the white flower symbolizes our love and support for him, as we did in another rally at the court,” she said.
“We hope that as a society, we can catch and protect every child like Kai Kai — just as we hold the pencil with our hands,” she added.
A man surnamed Lin (林) said he traveled from Hsinchu with his brother to express support, adding that child abuse is an important issue worthy of attention.
“We saw information on the demonstration from Facebook and decided to participate, especially because the government seems passive about the endless child abuse cases,” he said.
Asked which advocacy at the rally he supported the most, Lin said he strongly agreed with calls to increase penalties for child abuse through legislative reform.
“Although it [the death penalty] might not be completely humane, it serves as a deterrent and can help prevent such wrongdoing from occurring in the first place,” he said, adding that Liu Tsai-hsuan showed little remorse until her conviction.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the